GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) — The holiday season is a joyous time for many, but for Brown County’s homeless families, it can make a bad situation even more stressful.
Green Bay’s Freedom House Ministries runs the only homeless shelter for families in the county. Jessica Diederich is President, she says it’s tough for the kids.
“They think they’re not going to have a Christmas Tree, they don’t think they’re going to have any presents, that Santa isn’t going to find them,” Diederich said. “It breaks your heart to hear these things.”
The shelter holds movie nights and other events leading up to the holidays. On Christmas day itself, community support allows the Freedom House to bring Christmas to those families.
“[Our supporters] are adopting families so that everybody in the family will get a Christmas present on Christmas morning, said Diederich. “They have time set aside for the family to have alone time around the Christmas tree…so they can still have that private time.”
That supports family stability, Diederich says, which is important–especially for the kids.
NEW Community Shelter in Green Bay may not house homeless children, but Kris Olson says they still hold programs and meals for families during the season.
“We try to have a day when [kids] can come in and pick out a gift for mom and dad,” Olson told WTAQ. “We also try to have something a little special for the kids when they come in for a meal on Christmas.”
Both organizations are taking donations and volunteers throughout the holiday season.
